Juncus tenuis |
Juncus phaeocephalus |
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path rush, poverty or slender rush, poverty rush, slender rush |
brown-head rush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, tufted, 1.5–5 dm. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, 2–9 dm. |
Rhizomes | densely branching. |
2–3 mm diam. |
Culms | few–20. |
erect, 2–5 mm diam. |
Cataphylls | 2, chestnut brown, apex acute. |
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Leaves | basal, (1–)2–3; auricles 2–5 mm, apex acute, membranous; blade flat, 3–12 cm × 0.5–1 mm, margins entire. |
basal 2, cauline 1–2, light green; auricles absent; blade 1–15 cm × 2–5 mm. |
Inflorescences | 5–40-flowered, borne congested or branch internodes ca. as long as tepals, ssomewhat loose, 1–5 cm; primary bract usually longer than inflorescence. |
panicles of (2–)10–77 heads, 2–9.5 cm with ascending to erect branches, or heads solitary; primary bract erect; heads 3–35-flowered, spheric to obovoid, 0.5–1.2 mm diam. |
Flowers | bracteoles 2; tepals greenish, lanceolate, 3.3–4.4 mm; outer and inner series nearly equal; stamens 6, filaments 0.5–0.9 mm, anthers 0.1–0.2 mm; style 0.1–0.2 mm. |
tepals dark brown to purplish brown, lanceolate, 3.3–4.8 mm, nearly equal; outer tepals acuminate, mucro subulate; inner tepals acuminate or cuspidate, mucro subulate; stamens 6, anthers 2–3 times length of filaments. |
Capsules | tan or light brown, 1-locular to pseudo-3-locular, ellipsoid, (3.3–)3.8–4.7 × (1.1–)1.3–1.7 mm, nearly equal to tepals. |
included, chestnut brown or straw-colored, 1-locular, oblong, 3.8–5.6 mm (including beak), apex acute proximal to beak, beak slightly exserted. |
Seeds | tan, ellipsoid to lunate, (0.52–)5.5–0.65(–0.7) mm, not tailed. |
obovoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, not tailed. |
2n | = 80. |
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Juncus tenuis |
Juncus phaeocephalus |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–early summer. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Exposed or shaded sites in soils ranging from sandy to clayey under moist or drier conditions, oftentimes these sites naturally or otherwise disturbed (e.g., game or human trails) | Meadows and borders of swamps |
Elevation | 100–300 m (300–1000 ft) | |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK [Introduced worldwide]
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CA; OR; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
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Discussion | Juncus tenuis occurs throughout North America. It is particularly abundant in northeastern United States and eastern Canada, although infrequent in the south and west. Through the use of isozyme electrophoresis, hybridization can be demonstrated between various members of the Juncus tenuis complex, including Juncus tenuis, J. anthelatus, J. interior, J. secundus, and J. dichotomus (R. E. Brooks, unpubl.). Juncus ××oronensis is thought to be a hybrid between J. tenuis and J. vaseyi in the northeast. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Plants with more than 10 heads of 3–12 flowers have been separated as Juncus phaeocephalus var. paniculatus Engelmann. This variety is very similar to the neext species (Juncus macrandrus) and is probably better treated as part of that species. Until a more thorough study has been made of the entire subgenus, we are hesitant to make such a transfer. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 22. | FNA vol. 22. |
Parent taxa | Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Poiophylli | Juncaceae > Juncus > subg. Ensifolii |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | J. bicornis, J. bicornis var. williamsii, J. macer, J. macer, J. macer var. williamsii, J. tenuis var. bicornis, J. tenuis var. multicornis, J. tenuis var. williamsii | J. phaeocephalus var. paniculatus |
Name authority | Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 2(1): 214. (1799) | Engelmann |
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